Tim Burton Explains himself

If you are looking for more details behind Tim Burton's exhibition at the MoMA, take a few moments to listen to his interview.  This clip offers behind the scenes info on Burton's creative process, his thoughts on "being normal" as well as a glimpse of a few sketches featured in the show.

Blu in Bogota, round II

If millions of skulls being crushed into cocaine-like powder didn't do it for you, how about this one?  Here is another piece by Blu from his trip to Bogota, as usual he has something to say. 

 

 

 

 

Tim Burton at the MoMA

Tim Burton is known for his dark, macabre characters and fanciful story lines, but what you may not know is that when he is not in production Burton also enjoys a bit of graphic illustration for other non film projects.  Many of these projects have never reached the public sphere, until now.  The MoMA has welcomed Burton into their galleries, a show that is sure to draw crowds in. It will feature items from various states of production of his movies, projects that never got off the ground, as well as the previously mentioned illustrations. The show runs November 22, 2009 to April 26, 2010 and opened last night with a gala event that I can only assume was filled with black outfits and as much eyeliner as folks could muster. 

 

 

 

 

Invaded from Space: Adam Richardson

Adam Richardson is a photographer and art director with an interesting perspective on the on going war.  Mixing dramatic war shots with classic invader images, he puts a ridiculous spin on what we normally view as a serious situation, perhaps implying that this seemingly endless war is perhaps just as ludicrous.  

 

 

I SpY

SpY is a urban artist hailing from Madrid.  He has been working since the mid eighties, but has been popping up a lot on the blogosphere lately.  He has been called "The Banksy of Madrid," although I disagree because his style is unique and just because Banksy is very popular doesn't mean we need to compare everyone to him. 

According to his website SpY's pieces want to be a break in the automat-like inertia of the urban dweller. Bits of thought that hide in a corner for whoever wants to let himself be surprised. Full of both irony and a positive sense of humor, they appear to inspire a smile, a thought, to help a conscience a little bit more lucid.

Although he started primarily as a graffiti artist, he has branched out into public installations such as these, adding a bit of humor to the urban landscape around him.

 

 

Playing with Shadows

This is a nice one....found in Kaunas Lithuania this seemingly out of place graffiti tells a whole new story by nightfall.  

The Eyewriter

The Eyewriter from Evan Roth on Vimeo.


Tony Quan is a legendary LA graffiti artist, writer, and publisher better known to the public as TEMPTONE. He is known not only for his public work, but producing one of LA's first graffiti magazines Big Time with fellow graffiti artist Relic.  Sadly, in 2003 Tony was diagnosed with ALS, a disease which left him completely paralyzed but mentally intact.    It is because of stories like this that the Eyewriter project has been developed.

Banning together, members of Free Art and Technology, Open Frame Works, the Graffiti Research Lab, and the Ebling Group are working towards creating a low-cost, open sours eye tracking system that will allow patients like Tony to draw using only their eyes.  This week the Eye Writer team has released all the source code, free software, DIY instructions, and eye tags by Tempt1 to the public at eyewriter.org.

The group isn't looking to profit from their innovations, they hope instead to create a professional/social network of software developers, hardware hackers, urban projection artists and ALS patients from around the world who are using local materials and open source research to creatively connect and make eye art.  The result: giving back the means of expression to an artist.

Blu in Bogota

This new piece by Blu just showed up in Bogota.  A little cryptic as always. 

Above: Reverse Psychology

REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY from ABOVE on Vimeo.

Above has just finished off their European tour and to cap it off they have left us with Reverse Psychology, filmed in Leipzig, Gemany.  It has a bit of everything, graffiti, paste ups, a little B-boyin', and did I mention it was backwards? 

Above explains: 

"There are two sides to every coin, and we all know two wrongs don't make a right but somehow when it comes to filming a video in reverse then reversing it, it makes total sense? Confused? Watch the video to get a better idea. If you still don't understand, I can only suggest to try and watch it in reverse?!"

"The reverse side also has a reverse side. -Japanese proverb".

Blu's Sketchbook

Blu is one of my favorite street artists.  He is known for his bizarre creations that spring to live via time lapse video (such as MUTO),  most of which are on a vary large scale.  Wooster Collective, however, has offered us a more intimate view into the artists work.  Two of their collaborators met Blu personally when visiting Italy for the Winter Olympics in 2006.  His gift to them was a small sketchbook, apparently he completed a new book every week and wanted to pass along the one he had recently finished.  It has a little of what you would expect, weird people, creepy situations, and also unexpectedly intimate scenes of everyday life.  My only questions is...why did they wait so long to show us?!

Robert Williams: Conceptual Realism

Brute Waste

Robert Williams opened his most recent show at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York not to long ago.  The title: Conceptual Realism in the Service of the Hypothetical might seem confusing...but then again again so are some of his creations.  Williams' work has been influenced by genres of art that formal academics tend to reject, such as comic books, trading cards, and movie posters to name a few.   Add in a heavy dose of surrealism and fantasy and the result: a frenzied, colorful collection  of images that jump between hilarious cartoon figures, social commentary, and down right weird situations.  

Top picks are the two Sculptures Brute Waste and the descriptively titled Diamond up a Goats Ass. These are the first sculptures shown by Williams, and are composted of 9ft. steel frames covered in fiberglass and painted to a shiny gloss with auto paint.  His works in oil are likewise impressive, a series of fantastical situations you probably didn't see coming. Click HERE to view select works on show to see for yourself. 

The Persuasion of Right Angles

 

Diamond up a Goat's Ass

AME72, The Lego Guy

(source: http://www.ame72.com/)

Is there a person out there who hasn't played with Legos? I can't believe that there is.  Like any childhood phenomena there is a little piece of Lego that will stay with us forever, and it will probably have a little yellow face.   Artist AME72 would have to agree, and how could he disagree with a nickname like "Lego Guy"? This artist, raised in Manchester, UK, has been stenciling all his life and his trademark has become the little Lego guy posed in unexpected situations.

AME72 recently interviewed with Juxatpoz magazine and revealed how he got started with graffiti, where the Lego inspiration came from and what it means. 

AME72 says he uses the Lego character as a thought provoking instrument, a social statement on social hypocrisy and consumerism, but also humor. “Well, mainly humor. My artist’s statement is: ‘I do what I do to make people think and smile. Mainly smile’. The world is plagued by so many problems, war and recession - I don’t want to go too deep. I just want to make people feel good. I don’t psychoanalyze everything."

Well said Lego Guy, well said.  For the full interview, click HERE. 

(source: http://www.ame72.com/) 

 

(source: http://www.ame72.com/)  

 

(source: http://www.ame72.com/) 

Miss Bugs, Camouflage Cutouts

Miss Bugs, a collaboration between to anonymous London based artists, have come out with some cool cutouts to dot the streets with.  These sexy ladies blend in with the background just enough provide a very satisfying double take.  Its a far cry from Miss Bugs usual cartoons and super heroes, but I think its a welcome change.

 

Yes, Those are Dead Flies

Whee!

Remember that kid that would collect dead bugs and kept them in his desk?  Well he is all grown up now.  Magnus Muhr is a Swedish photographer that has done everything from portraits, landscapes, and wildlife photography.  He can now check "Dead Bug Caricatures" off his list as well.  Although the idea is kinda creepy, there is an amazing amount of humor, life, and emotion in these dead little bugs. 

 

 Just a Fly Guy and his Horse

Young Love

Catching some Rays

Ready, Set, Go

The Fly Dive

Sketching from Memory: Stephen Wiltshire

Drawing from models is a common thing for artist.  Anyone who has taken art classes knows that hours will be spent in front of live models, bowls of fruit, or anything that strikes your fancy.  Many professional landscape artist paint from photographs, using the captured image to help recreate a scene that inspired them.  Its not for lack of talent that models are used, but lack of memory.  Enter Stephen Wiltshire, an artist that hails from London with a unique talent...drawing strictly from memory.  Stephen is autistic, a neurological disorder that impairs communication and interaction, but often heightens other skills.

Stephen has an incredible memory and this combined with his love of drawing, which he has used over the years to help him learn, has produced some amazing pieces.  After a 20 min. helicopter ride, Stephan created a 18 foot long drawing of the NY skyline.  “The unbelievably intricate picture was drawn at Brooklyn’s prestigious Pratt Institute from Stephen’s memory, with details of every building sketched in to scale,” reports the UK’s Daily Mail. “Landmarks including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building can be seen towering above smaller buildings after just three days in his spellbinding creation.”

Steven has been invited to sketch many cities, including Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Rome, a city he recreated so accurately that he drew in the correct number of columns on the famous Pantheon.   The details and commitment of these pieces are amazing, especially considering it took me 20 min to find my keys this morning. For the full article from the Daily Mail, click HERE.